It’s 3 o’clock in the morning. I am listening to the Beatles while eating baked oatmeal and drinking raw milk. I am wide awake as the world sleeps. What better time than now to do an assessment of my mental health and update on Delight in Disorder Ministries?
After our successful Spring/Summer Hope for Troubled Minds book tours, I returned to my Tiny House on the family farm in Upstate New York rather depleted of psychological and physical energy. I had scheduled a Sabbath rest from public speaking for the month of July. A good friend encouraged me to consider applying to present at the NAMI NY state convention in November. The application deadline was August 1. As the deadline approached, I found myself stymied by the application, almost emotionally paralyzed. I received much encouragement from friends and family. In the end, I decided to take a hiatus from public speaking until I gain more stamina.
So what am I doing instead? Well, for one, this. Blog posts. It is my prayerful intention to publish 1-2 posts/week. Some of these will be written by me. Others will be submitted by advocates at the intersection of faith and mental health. If you feel led to submit, compose a 500-1,000 word draft and send it to me along with a brief bio and photo/image to: tony@delightindisorder.org
Vocationally, I am also continuing to produce episodes of the Revealing Voices podcast (revealingvoices.com). Kevin Earley and Eric Riddle are my partners in this endeavor which is faith-based, peer-led, story-driven, and stigma-breaking.
We continue to spread the word about Hope for Troubled Minds as we approach the first anniversary of publication. I encourage you if you do not have a copy, order one (link to website order). If you have your own copy, I encourage you to write a review to post on Goodreads, Amazon, and/or your social media. Another way we are spreading the word is through podcasts. Check out podcast appearances at the Podcast tab on our website https://revealingvoices.com/index.php/other-podcast-appearances/.
On a personal note, I hope to replenish my strength by spending family time, going for walks with my ESA lab Briley, doing spiritual reading, writing poetry, taking up photography as a hobby, listening to music and Reds baseball on radio. We have had some blistery hot weather, so I haven’t gone outside much. I hope this will change soon. If not, I have purchased a Nordic Track treadmill.
What are you doing this Summer to maintain your mental health?
